Child Advocacy

The mission of the Division of Child Advocacy is to protect children and promote healthy families through excellence in assessment of child maltreatment, medical and social care for vulnerable children, collaboration with child-protection agencies, and education and research.

Physicians of the division have responsibilities of medical service, teaching, research, and administrative leadership for the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The purposes of the clinical center are to ensure that injured, vulnerable patients receive the highest quality assessment for concerns of maltreatment, and to ensure that there are ongoing medical and social services for children who have been abused or are at risk of abuse. 

The Child Advocacy Center combines two separate but complementary programs:

• a traditional advocacy center model, including forensic interviewing and support of a community-based multidisciplinary team approach to child abuse
• a hospital-based Child Protection Team program and an outpatient clinic for evaluation and treatment of children in whom there is concern about abuse or neglect